Font of matrices.



wiwooao N0"s65', 07a. PATENTED SEPT. 3,, 1907..

J. B. BELL} FONT 0F MATRICES.

APPLIUATION FILED SE1"I.13,19Q6.

NI STATES Atrnnir OFFICE.

JEROME B. BELL, F WILMINGTON, DEL WARE.

son'r OF mmrmcns.

- Specification Q Lettars laten Application filell fieptember 13,1906. Serial IE0- 334,533.

Patented Sept. 3, 1907.

' umns. This is due chiefly to the multiplicity of the runnin'gwise widths of the bodies of the matrices, and the same objection applies whether the widths oi the bodies are arranged on the so-called. unit system or otherwise. Q v f It is the object of my invention to reduce the munber of different body widths in a. font of matrices and to so proportion those used that the operator or compositor may readily estimate mentally the space occupied by a given number of characters and supply the necessary blanks or quads to fill out the dcsired'column width or iraction of a column width.

To these ends my invention consists in dividing the alphabet, together with. the numerals, spaces or quads, punctuation marks and other characters constituting a font of matrices, into three or four groups, preferably three, the bodies of each group bearing a definite relation to the bodies of each of the other groups.

The invention Will be d cscribed with reference to the accompanying drawing, inwhich,- I I Figure 1 is a face view of a number of linotype matrices having bodies of uniform size; Fig. 2 is a face view of other matrices of uniform size less in width than the bodies illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a similar view of matrices having bodies of less width than those shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 illustrates a line of matrices made according'to my invention and assembled ready for casting. Fig. 5 illustrates the matrices of the letters M and W having bodies of uniform width and slightly wider than the bodies of the matrices shown in'Fig. 1.

In illustrating my invention in Figs. 1 to {1, inclusive, I have divided the characters embraced in a iont oi matrices into three classes approximately according to the numerals, and certain other characters of intermediate customary widths of their bodies. Most of the punctuation marksand the narrower letters,- such as and t, are arranged upon bodies 10, as illustrated in Fig. 3,"of uniform size. Most oi the capital letters I arsize, I arrange up'on bodieslZ, which are preferably twice as large as the bodies'lO. Spaces or quads are also provided having body widths equal respectively to the bodies 10: 11 and 12. As illustrated in the drawing, the bodies 12 are twice the width of the bodies 10 and the bodies 11 are twice thewidth of the bodies 12 and four times the width of the bodies 10. Thes v relations are practical and workable, although somewhat different proportions might be'adopted within the In assembling a series of lines, such as that shown in Fig. 4, the operator or compositor having but three scope and spirit of my invention. j

widths of bodies to deal with can readily estimate theamount of matter set up and can therefore estimatethe amount remaining to be filled at any time and he can thus quickly select the necessary spaces to fill in between columns or at the end of a' line. Thus in the line illustrated, following the word Pacific, he can assemble such number oi any size of the blank spaces or quads as will approximately fill the desired space between the word Pacific and the following numerals "208, and can then, at a glance, determine the remaining space to be filled which must always be equal to one of the smallest matrix quads or a multiple thereof.

are somewhat greater than the other capitals it may be advisable in some instances to provide special bodies for them, as shown, for instance, in Fig. 5. v In suclr case I prefer to use bodies-which are five times the width of the smallest bodies, or live units in width, as-

suming the smallest bodies to be one unit in width. -It' will be understood that this may be done without departing from the invention. With some styles oi type, I may make the bodies of the M? and W four times the smallest width used, and the bodies of the other capital letters three times the smallest width used,

with thelexception of Iand J which may have bodies the same as the small lettersfaf and b, etc.

Iprefer, however, to limit the number of body widths to three, as shown in the drawing. I

Having thus described 'my' invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-'

- Witnesses:

B, M. Morn, Janus A. \VA'LSON.

I As the widths of the capital letters, M and"W 

